Tag: discoveries

Rain falls outside the window of my new bedroom, complementing the silence of the night. I am restless, I can’t sleep. But this is a good kind of restless. Though my body can’t fall asleep, my soul is so perfectly at peace. I’ve been praying and have been absolutely IN AWE of how beautiful God is. These past few days have been so joy-filled, and the LORD has really blessed me in so many ways, that looking back on this past weekend and today, I am amazed at this God that I serve and that I get to call my Father. I am so overwhelmed by His goodness, and I must recount some of the many, many things He has shown me and that He has done or given me these past few days:

A new home in a new town. It’s quieter. It’s safer. It’s more peaceful. I go to sleep and hear crickets, not people yelling at each other. I wake up and hear birds twittering peacefully, as I look out the window and see the golden glow of the morning sunlight. After years of not feeling very safe, I now can rest.

Friendship, fellowship, and community. The other day I was able to hang out with a dear friend of mine. We bought art supplies at a craft store and then painted together, while listening to worship music and talking about what God has been doing in our lives. The next day I got to attend my small group for the first time in forever (I had been out of town over the summer) and spend time in prayer with the people in my group, and then discuss Revelation 1 and what it says about Christ. Then yesterday I was able to meet a friend in person who I had met online, and spend some time with her and her family after church. Fellowship and community are such beautiful things. I am so, so blessed.

I have seen the power and reality of the gospel more clearly these past few days. That though there is so much darkness in this world, Christ is stronger. So much stronger. That since I am in Christ, no weapon formed against me shall prosper. That persistence in faith in the promises of God makes the enemy flee. That Jesus is victorious and that all authority has been given to Him. I have seen struggles with fear and with sin, I have seen heavy battles over the course of my life, and I have seen God’s grace in giving me firm faith and His peace even in the midst of those battles, and persistence to keep on looking to Christ… until at last satan gives up even trying to discourage me and all I know is God’s peace. I have also seen other people’s lives completely changed—I have seen one girl, who had once been in spiritual bondage and recently was set free, get baptized yesterday. I was weeping tears of joy—people, the gospel changes lives! Jesus Christ changes lives, and the powers of hell cannot stand a chance against Him! The reality of the gospel has been so real to me these past couple days—Christ has conquered my sin, the fullness of it, and I bear it no more! In Him I am a child of God, free from condemnation and counted righteous, although I had deserved the complete opposite. Friends, trust in Jesus Christ! In Him is real, lasting Peace (the peace I feel so much right now); in Him is inexpressible and overflowing Joy! In Him is fulfillment and satisfaction and contentment! He is everything I need!

It’s so good to be back at my home church again. Today my former youth pastor visited our church and preached, and it was one of the best sermons I have heard.

And then right now, as I was lying here in bed, I was just thinking about God’s goodness to me, about all that He has done for me, and of what Jesus went through for me, because He loves me, and was overcome by the fact that He is very real (which I always have known and believed, but now I could really feel it), and that He loves me… and, more than I ever have probably felt before, I longed to just be in heaven with Him—worshiping Him, learning from Him, seeing the wounds in His hands with my own eyes—the wounds that He took for MY sake—I cannot wait for that day when I will be with Him forever.

(Notebook from Rifle Paper Co. If titling a bullet-journal “the bullet journal” is a newbie-ish thing to do, oops, whatever.)

So a while back I discovered bullet-journaling, and decided to start one of my own. I’m learning about this whole thing as I go, but I think there isn’t a wrong way to do it. I’ve decided to go more visual and avoid a bullet system of any sort (except in lists). Here’s most of what I have so far:

I’m doing washi tape tabs on the pages. Tabs on the top of a page somewhat separate months, and tabs on the sides are for the fun pages – you know, lists, ideas, all that stuff.

Above is the layout of the planner pages. (My bullet-journal is mostly a planner with a few other features… I don’t know if that is how most people do it, but whatever.)

Those bars you see on the right of each “day” are for keeping track of water consumption, as shown below (this is the first page of my journal). Due to the shocking lack of water I consume each day, I thought this to be a necessary feature. =) I looked up how many ounces a person my size needs (about 80 oz), and found that 80 ounces is 4 20-oz. waterbottles’ worth of water. I own a 20 oz. waterbottle, so measurements should be easy.

Below are the non-planner parts of the bullet-journal:

I thought it would be handy to keep a little grocery list in there in case I should need it. =)

Do you bullet-journal? What do you put in yours? If you have any tips or ideas for a novice, they would be most welcome!

I thought it would be fun to have a monthly post series dedicated to music I’ve been enjoying. Because who doesn’t love to find a good song? So with that, here is the first of the #MonthlyMusicPost series, where I post 10 songs that I’ve been enjoying.

Here are 10 songs that I’m currently loving:

1.) I Know I Need You – Ryan Ellis

This song. It’s so incredibly catchy. It’s a Christian song, though it might not be obvious if you don’t listen to it knowing that right off the bat. It’s all about how we desperately need God.

2.) This Fire – Ben Rosenbush & The Brighton

3.) Like The Dawn – The Oh Hellos

4.) We Are Brave – Shawn McDonald

5.) Never Stop – Urban Rescue

These guys have toured with Rend Collective twice, and I love their music. This song especially.

6.) Lion’s Den – Holly Ann

7.) Dear Sophie – Tim Halperin

This song is so cute. I heard the guy wrote it for his infant niece. Aww.

8.) I’m Alive – Brother Daniel

9.) Far Kingdom – The Gray Havens

I love The Gray Havens – their lyrics are so poetic, and filled with allegories that communicate biblical truths, while their style of music is perfectly singer-songwritery. (Sometimes I’m not good at writing reviews, haha – I could never be a professional critic.)

10.) This My Soul – The Gray Havens

A song about death in Adam, and life in Christ.

Stay tuned for the next #MonthlyMusicPost! (I sound like a TV guy, haha.)

Hey everyone! How are you all? I’m doing well. =) Right now, I’m enjoying a little bit of free time, and it feels great. I’ve been so tired, and have been working hard trying to read a lot and memorize what year the Vandals attacked North Africa and cut off what was left (East or West, I can’t remember) of the Roman Empire’s grain supply (I wrote a poem about it! Just a second…), and memorize the forms of the Greek word λόγος (there are 8 of them!), and write on what I think Augustine’s understanding of the self is. Whew! It’s been wonderful to learn all the things I have been learning, but wow, I’m a bit exhausted, and it feels good to do something leisurely and restful. I must be lacking in a year’s worth of sleep… I think I’ll go to bed early tonight (pshhh… we’ll see if that actually happens).

This past week, we’ve been learning about Islam: its history, its religious and political significance, and what Muslims believe (studying its doctrines to what the Bible teaches). It’s been very interesting. For example, did you know, that their god (Allah) has 99 names that signify his attributes, but not one of them means “love”? Learning that made me so thankful that the true God, YHWH, is full of love, and that by giving His Son to atone for my guilt, I, who once was black with all my errors and pain and regrets, have been made clean and set free from my sin, and become His adopted daughter, to love and serve Him in joy forever and bask in His glory… not because of anything I’ve done, but because of what HE did, out of His love for me! I mean, seriously, what a gift! No other religion teaches news like this.

Greek has been super hard, but fun. I prefer the class sessions over the individual study time, because our Greek prof makes the classes fun and interactive, calling on us at random to answer questions (“Madeline. Say this word on the board, tell me what it means, and parse it for me.”). To parse a word is to identify its qualities, such as its case, gender, number. For example, λόγος (logos – “word”) is in the nominative case, is masculine, and singular. Greek is as hard to learn as I imagine English as a second language would be. But it’s definitely interesting and fun! It’s so cool to actually be able to read the New Testament in its original language.

I’ve been biking pretty often. It’s been fun… biking in the city is kind of a new experience for me, so I’m getting used to that. I have had a few awkward moments while doing it though… such as trying to cross a street but taking a while to get my bike to actually get moving, because the pedals are inconveniently situated, so I can’t push on it to get it going very well (while the guy in the car by me has to wait a second until I’m out of his way. sorry dude). This has happened a few times. Or the time when I was biking with a friend, when we happened upon one of those ramps at the end of sidewalks, and I, having just been going rather slowly, had some trouble actually getting up the ramp, and had to kind of assist my bike along using my feet. (Smooth.) Meanwhile, my friend is several yards ahead, and looks back with an amused expression, probably wondering, “what’s taking her so long?” Yup. Haha. But it’s been fun.

For the past few days, we’ve been studying for a history quiz. Some of my housemates and I made a timeline on our dining room wall out of different-colored baker’s twine, pinning on index cards with names and dates with clothespins. It’s pretty awesome. A few friends and I went to a coffee shop to study, two days in a row. The second time was originally the morning of the quiz, so we all got up at 5-ish in the morning and got there while it was still dark. And then as we were studying, we all received an email from our professor that it got postponed until Friday (so, this morning). I’m not sure how everyone else felt about that, but I was relieved: more time to get the facts cemented into my brain! I didn’t mind a bit that we had to get up at 5. By the way, I found a fun way to study facts and dates: write little poems or haikus about them! Everything’s easier to remember when it’s put to rhyme or a tune. Here’s one I wrote yesterday:

Near four hundred thirty the Vandals took Africa

Stopping the import of wheat to the Empire

This was a blow to the economy,

They then had no choice but to eat gluten free.

Obviously that last line isn’t historically accurate; I’m sure the victims of this catastrophe possibly could have grown their own wheat if they wanted to, and they probably did, but I added it just for the fun of it. (YOLO.) Anyway, all that poetry writing paid off today; I think I did rather well. =)

These days God has been teaching me to take every hard situation – be it a hard assignment, or a life problem, or a day where I’m feeling a bit overtired, or a time when life isn’t going according to what I’d hoped – and “count it all joy”.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

What does it mean to “count it all joy”? Well, the verse is saying that when hard times happen, I should know that God is using it to strengthen my faith, to teach me to trust him. It’s sanctification. So when I’m feeling not-so-joyful and wondering why on earth, or looking ahead with intimidation at a hard task, or whatever, God is teaching me to say “well, LORD, this isn’t pleasant, but I know that You have caused this moment in my life to happen for a reason, to teach me to trust You more. So thank You, and help me to take this moment with joy, knowing that You are doing this for my good, because You LOVE me.” If life were easy, I would be a spoiled brat. Thank You, LORD for discipline.

Also, I’ve been reminded that God is the giver of wisdom. Yesterday I was sitting in the school library trying to write the final draft of my Augustine paper. It was pouring outside (yes!), and I was listening to my playlist on Spotify titled “Chillax” (full of calm, wordless, relaxing music), and I thought I knew where I was going with my paper. All was going fine. Then suddenly… I don’t know what to write anymore. My thesis doesn’t work. I can’t come up with six pages’ worth of information to support my argument. Oh no. What on earth am I going to do? These are the moments where I break down and am like, “Okay, God. I cannot do this on my own. Any knowledge I have is a gift from You. Would you be pleased to give me wisdom for what to write, and help me to get this turned in on time?” And often in the past He has been pleased to answer this prayer. Last semester I was writing a paper that had to be five pages long, and I only had two, and it was due the next day. So I asked Him to give me the right things to write. And would You believe it? God gave me some grace. He helped me to think (more clearly, when it was midnight and all I could think about was “I want to go to bed”) about the topic I was writing about and calling to mind all kinds of biblical evidence for my argument, and soon I had 5 pages’ worth of “word vomit”, which I could sort through the next day. I was like, “WOW, God! Thank You!” Also, today my professor happened to read 1 Kings 3:1-15 to us as our morning devotional before class. This chapter tells about when Solomon became king of Israel, and God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask what I shall give you.” Solomon could have asked for anything he wanted, but what he asks for is wisdom – understanding to govern the people well, and to discern between good and evil. He realizes that he is only human, and cannot lead such a large nation of people on his own strength. God is pleased with his humility, and answers His prayer. Like, He REALLY answers his prayer, making him wiser than anyone before or after him. So. Moral of the story: Do you need wisdom? Ask God. =)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. (James 1:5 ESV)

Lately, I’ve been enjoying: Tazo Passion tea // “Live To Praise You” and “Oxygen” by Lincoln Brewster // “Born Again” by Josh Garrels. This song. Wow. // Wearing dresses around the house because they’re comfortable, and why not. =) // Reading Beowulf. (It’s our assigned reading for this Monday. I’m only on the second page, but so far it’s enjoyable. I’m reading the Seamus Heaney translation.) // The occasional chilly, rainy days. =) Fall is coming! // The book of Romans (I’m going through it for my devotions. So good. Paul is the man).

Hello everyone! I’ve been wanting to blog for some time, but I’ve been so busy with finals. Augh. It’s super exhausting and sometimes it is so tempting to just have a big ol’ weepfest about the heavy workload. However, I try to avoid those impulses, press on, and remain cheerful, keeping in mind that this is what God has for me to do right now, and that pretty soon it will all be over; I will get to enjoy a long vacation from studying, and will be able to have time to do enjoyable things again (oh happy day!). This verse has kind of become my theme these days:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-3

When God is putting me through hard times where I honestly have no idea WHERE I’m going to come up with a 5-page essay concerning the theme of suffering in Buddhism, finish all my assigned reading, or come up with something sufficient to say in my student interview (and on top of that, be deficient in sleep), he’s teaching me to “count it all joy”. Each hard moment is an opportunity for me to grow in faith, trusting that He will provide all my needs, rather than freak out in despair. Where I grow in faith, I grow in steadfastness (or some other translations say “perseverance”). And perseverance leads to more faith, and then more perseverance, and so on. It’s a vicious cycle in the best sense, essentially. So God has definitely been using this season to teach me to look to him for everything. That I am in no way self-sufficient; I am fully dependent on Him. He will provide; He’s never failed me, and He never will. So though it’s been hard, it’s been SO good.

Anyway, in my last post, I was looking forward to Thanksgiving break. I’ll quick tell you how that went. It went pretty well: I got to visit my family, hang with my sisters, take a good long break from studying, and celebrate Thanksgiving with some relatives. Our dinner was the bomb, especially the cranberry sauce, the pumpkin custard and my mom’s cranberry apple sweet potatoes.

After thanksgiving dinner, we had a white elephant gift exchange. It was pretty fantastic. The gifts I ended up with were actually pretty useful – two pairs of mittens (I could always use a backup pair of mittens), and a pair of snowman socks (YESSSS. Haha). :)

Our class recently read through Homer’s The Odyssey. It was interesting to learn about the Greek pantheon, and Homer’s worldview, shown through his poetry and storytelling. Then I had to write a paper contrasting Penelope, the wife of the main character Odysseus, with Sarah of the Bible. I concluded that each went through tough trials, but had different outlooks on life and responded in different ways to their circumstances, based on their worldviews (pagan vs. God-centered). It was definitely interesting.

A few days ago, a few of my girlfriends and I went ice skating. I had never done it before, so I was very wobbly and I fell down a lot. Haha. But I think I started to get the hang of it to some degree. It was pretty fun.

God has been constantly showing me his goodness these past few days, even in the smallest ways. Last Sunday, after one of those “God, I’m so exhausted and bored that I don’t know what to do with myself” moments, one of my friends randomly stopped by (my roommates invited him, but I had no idea he was coming), and he, my roommates and I went to a coffeeshop to continue our studies. It was so good to finally get out of the house and have a fun time. It was cool because God knew that I needed a change of scenery, and he answered my prayer and provided it so unexpectedly and at the perfect time. Then last night my small group got together, one last time before winter break, and we all shared what God has been doing in our lives so far this semester. Sitting there, hearing everyone’s stories and being so encouraged, it just hit me how blessed I am to be a part of this school, along with all these lovely people who are like-minded in the gospel yet each have a unique story and calling.

And as usual, class has been mind-blowingly AMAZING. These days we have been going through the minor prophets of the Old Testament, and looking at all the foreshadowings of the Messiah that was to come. They’re EVERYWHERE. My goodness. It’s SO COOL. We went through the basic themes of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, and all the visions of “the latter days” – the end times. We were also shown how there is this recurring theme throughout the Bible of water flowing out of the temple. Let me mention first that the temple was where the presence of God was. Eden (which can be a sort of temple figure, because the presence of God was there) had a river flowing through it. The temples built in the Old Testament, I think, were built by streams or rivers (something concerning water that flows), Jesus (the presence of God, in the flesh) had blood and water flow out of his side when he was pierced, and lastly, Christians flow living water out of their hearts (John 7:38) (and we are temples of the Holy Spirit). And then, another observation is that in Revelation 7:17, it talks about how in the new heavens and earth, the Lamb will guide his people to springs of living water. Well, that is where the presence of God will be. Whoa. Mind. Blown.

(If you’re wondering why on earth there is something about “ten toes” in my notes in the photo above, we were going through the book of Daniel that day, and in Daniel there are a lot of visions. And in one of the visions, the number 10 occurred a couple times, which I found interesting. That’s what that’s all about. Haha)

I am so excited for winter break. I’ll be able to do the things I never have time to do these days. During that time I’m hoping to draw, write and blog way more, write a few letters, spend lots of time in the Word, and be with my family.

Happy last day of May, everyone! These days it has been really, really hot, and the house in which I reside does not have proper A/C. But with a couple of fans, one can get by. Anyway, here’s a list of things I have been liking these days.

The Book Thief. This movie is seriously one of my new favorites. If you have not seen it yet, GO SEE IT. It inspired me to learn a bit of German. :)

EOS lip balm. I have the “Honeysuckle Honeydew” and “Summer Fruit” flavors. They’re mostly natural, and also gluten free. They would have to be, or I wouldn’t be using them. :)

As far as music goes, I haven’t been listening to anything new. Mostly Hillsong Young & Free and Rend Collective. Looking forward to seeing Rend Collective in concert soon, along with Moriah Peters, God willing. :)

Drawing. The last two I drew today.

Writing. I’ve been dabbling a bit in poetry, and making little short stories. Words are fun to play with. :) I started a new tumblr account just as a showcase for my photos, art and literature. You can check it out if you like.

Reading. Not much of a reader, other than the Bible. But once in a while I like to pick up the good old classics, and by that I mean things like Pride & Prejudice, The Wind in the Willows, and almost anything by Louisa May Alcott. Right now I started her book An Old-Fashioned Girl, and am in the middle of Jack and Jill.

Photography. Oh, do I love photography. It just takes my breath away. I can get lost on Pinterest and Tumblr, it’s kind of sad. Anyway, I like photos of objects, scenes, and non-posed moments. Here are a few favorites grabbed from pinterest:

Hello everybody! It’s been a long time since I’ve last posted. I haven’t found much to write about these days. But a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks. So here’s an update on my life.

During the past few weeks, I have learned so much about our amazing and great God.

I spent a few days out in the country, and got to enjoy the open space and fresh air. Also I enjoyed being able to see the entire sky without obstructions (like buildings, etc.)! You can’t do that in the city. I saw some of the most amazing clouds.

I saw Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart series. Now, I think Hallmark’s shows are super cheesy. However, despite the cheese and unrealistic plot, I rather enjoyed it. Does anyone else think that Jack sort of looked like Bear Grylls? Haha :)

Started tweeting a lot. Don’t worry, it’s for a good purpose. :) I started actually using my Twitter account for my other blog, Girls Who Glow (a blog for Christian girls), and I have been using it to encourage other girls, and have gotten encouragement myself. Social networking is awesome!

Moriah Peters did a drawing for her painted boom box used in her video, and I entered to win it. I don’t think I won, though. The drawing ended yesterday, and I heard nothing. Oh well. ;) Her new album is coming out on the 20th! So excited!!!!

Remember when I had a very small (and sadly unsuccessful) design shop called Sparkel Works? It’s long gone, but I think I might start it up again soon, God willing.

Happy first day of March! I’m hoping that the temperatures will rise and that spring will come quite soon. Last year it snowed until May! I’m very excited to start enjoying warm weather and not having to bundle up before going out. You guys, I’ve got the spring fever. And summer fever. I’m excited to start wearing short sleeved shirts, shorts and flip flops; to be able to go outside more often; to have more things to take pictures of; to enjoy lemonade, cool summer evenings, jet ski rides, making flower crowns… I can’t wait.

I spent a good portion of this morning making bouquets and taking pictures of flowers. Here are two of the results.

About a week ago I discovered the awesomeness of VSCO Grid, and made a profile for myself to showcase some of my favorite photos. You can check it out if you so desire. ;) http://thefloralberry.vsco.co/

I’ve been teaching myself piano again. So far I know the first part of “All Day” by Cody Simpson (hahaha I know, right), and the first part of the Man of Steel theme, along with some others.

Did you know that if you google the word “tilt” (or “askew”), the webpage will tilt? Try it.

So I was on Facebook, scrolling through feed, when I saw a post by Jamie Grace (a 22-year-old Christian pop artist of whom I am a fan), announcing that her new album was available to stream (6 days before the release date, January 28) via Air1. Okay, I was overjoyed. I have been awaiting this album for about a year and a half. So I excitedly checked it out, listened through the whole thing, and …wow. I was amazed. It was so much more than what I expected. In her album, she sings of Jesus (haha, obviously), experiences, waiting for love, etc., and there are appearances of her sister, Morgan Harper Nichols, and Manwell Reyes from Group1Crew, in a couple songs. Her sweet personality and love for God totally shine through her music. I guarantee you will find yourself humming along, jamming, whatever you do when you listen to the best song ever (and no, I’m not referring to that One Direction song). :) So please, check it out (HERE)!!!

Hello, everyone. I trust you all are doing well, and are enjoying the beautiful fall weather. I certainly have been. A couple days ago I took home a whole bunch of the most beautiful red leaves that I had ever found.

I had my first hot apple cider of the season last Friday.

We still have been doing a lot of painting. Thankfully, we’re almost done.

God has been teaching me so much, and has answered so many prayers. He is amazing.

I bought some delicious-smelling perfume recently. It smells awesome.

Excited for thanksgiving. I’m really thankful for being able to live in a relatively free country. I might do a “Thankful” post soon.

Deer Season is in a few days! More about that later.

Current favorite music:
“The Rest of Me” by Lauryn Taylor Bach (seriously, this girl has the voice I wish I had!)
“Making Me New” by Royal Tailor
“Remain” by Royal Tailor (I’ve recently kind of become a fan of Royal Tailor, as you may have noticed.)
“Overcomer” by Mandisa
“Run” by Charmaine

Also, I just saw that Jamie Grace announced the release date of her new album, “Ready to Fly” – January 28!

If you have any good (clean) music recommendations, please let me know! I’m always looking for good music.

I like to blog about things I find online, products I love, and things that are pretty and useful. So I have decided to start a blog series called “Things I Fancy”. Hope you enjoy it!

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1. Rifle Paper Co. products

A few years ago, I was reading an issue of the Country Living magazine, and I found out about this lady named Anna Bond who had a shop called Rifle Paper Co. I studied her work shown in the article, and was amazed. I forgot about it for a couple years, and then rediscovered it, to find out that not only does she sell calendars and notecards, she sells journals, notebooks, recipe cards and boxes, prints, etcetera! And they are so darling. I recently bought myself the journal shown below. Can’t wait for it to come in the mail so I can start writing in it!

2. wool mittens.

I love classic mittens: not bulky, up cycled felted sweater ones, but classic knit ones made of wool. The way they were originally made. Anyway, I have come across some really cute ones. The ones in the first picture are from a bigcartel shop. They are sold in euros, but if the shop accepts paypal, then I think you can pay with US dollars or anything else, and you’re good. Just consult your paypal F.A.Q. to make sure, because I may be mistaken. :)

The ones in the second picture are from an etsy shop, and I think they are a rather reasonable price, considering that they are 100% merino wool.

3. vintage dishes. Aren’t these cute? All of them I saw on etsy in a shop that sells old ukrainian dishes and other vintage items.

H E L L O .

This blog is a place where I write about the things I enjoy, my life, things that the LORD has been teaching me, and all the ways in which He has blessed me beyond measure (hence the title of this blog). And occasionally I may post a poem or a short story or two.

Glad you're here!

FYI: Sometimes at the bottom of the page, below a post, you will see an ad. I did not put that there; Wordpress did. So I am not responsible for anything you may see in that ad space. If anything unsightly or annoying comes up, I apologize, and want to clarify that it isn't my fault.